Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a powerful tool, but it is not without its consequences. The challenge lies in harnessing its potential while safeguarding the values that define our humanity.
In a compelling session titled Content & Creativity in an AI Powered Futureheld on the second day of the 22ndArab Media Forum, held as part of the Arab Media Summit in Dubai, on Wednesday, Emily Ross, Director of Brand Strategy at X for EMEA, emphasised the profound impact of AI on the future of creativity and content. As she flew into Dubai, Ross remarked on the striking contrast she felt seeing the solar fields and glittering skyscrapers of the city compared to Ireland’s typically wet and damp climate. "It was like flying into the future," she observed.
She highlighted how AI is reshaping the world in unimaginable ways. However, she stressed that AI remains a tool—a human invention. “Even as we develop thinking machines, we must remember that they are extensions of our thoughts.”
Ross explained that there are two primary categories of AI tools created by humans—creative tools and distribution tools. Creative tools transform ideas and imaginations into stories and products, while distribution tools disseminate our spoken words through television and the Internet. Both types are crucial and are the products of humanity’s evolution. “Creativity and distribution are two sides of the same coin. There can be no content without context,” Ross stated. She elaborated that we are at a pivotal moment in human history where we cannot turn back. This new normal—accelerating creativity—is a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.
Citing the example of AlphaGo, a game developed by DeepMind Technologies, and Grok, a huge language model with 314 billion parameters developed by xAI, making it the largest open-source model currently available, Ross illustrated AI’s potential and how such rapid advancement underscores the transformative power of AI.
Change always seems gradual until it happens one day. Reflecting on the evolution from physical media to digital formats, Ross remarked, "From atoms, we have come to bits. Today, everything created is online. This is a critical turning point: until now, content was made by humans for humans. AI-generated content, however, need not be human-created or original. This technological advancement, like all inventions, comes with consequences.”
Ross drew parallels to historical technological advancements, such as the printing press, which triggered political and religious upheaval, and penicillin, which, while curing millions, also led to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Edward Tenner, in his book ‘Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences’, calls this the ‘revenge effect’.
As we advance, Ross cautioned, we must be prepared for AI’s unintended consequences, too. While AI will create new jobs, it will also render some skills obsolete. Radiologists and certain administrative banking positions are already being impacted. For instance, auscultation, once a crucial skill for physicians, is now overshadowed by MRI and CT scans. Similarly, skills like listening and rote memorisation may become vestigial. With tools like GPS and Google Maps, we no longer need to remember directions. "We are at a phase where we no longer need to remember where we came from; we only think of where we want to go next," Ross said.
She urged us to consider what might be lost in this transition. Ross underscored that while information was once abundant, today, we are drowning in it. Truth, credibility, and trust are now scarce resources. Despite these challenges, the fundamental human desire to tell and share stories remains. "We want to connect and converse," Ross asserted, and in this context, X plays a significant role. As we navigate the uncertainties of the future, authenticity, trust, and truth will be paramount. Ross described X as the ‘API of humanity’—real-time, open source, and public by default. X connects hundreds of millions of people, enabling them to create and share stories.